Maidstone Crown Court.
A Co Derry man has been jailed after hijacking the details of legitimate haulage companies in order to snuggle 200,000 litres of alcohol and avoid paying nearly £2m in duty.
William Canning (44), from Clooney Road in Ballykelly, was one of two men jailed at Maidstone Crown Court in Kent.
He was found guilty of two counts of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of excise duty.
He was jailed for 27 months and will serve half of his sentence behind bars and half on licence.
His co-accused, Kieran Patrick Hughes (55), from Coharra Road in Portadown, was found guilty of 14 counts of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of excise duty.
He was also found guilty of one further count of possession of false documentation. was found guilty of two counts of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of excise duty.
He was given a six year jail sentence half of which will be spent in prison and half on licence.
The pair faked paperwork to claim they were importing vinegar, fruit juice, detergent and water into Britain from Europe, according to HM Revenue and Customs.
“Over 18 months, these men attempted to flood the UK with illicit alcohol, with the aim of lining their own pockets at the expense of UK taxpayers,” David Margree, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigations at HMRC, said.
“They hijacked details from legitimate hauliers in order to disguise the fact that they were committing fraud.
“The alcohol was sold on and the profits used to fund further criminality, undercutting legitimate retailers who could not compete with these fraudsters.
“HMRC is committed to protecting public finances from attacks by criminals and will not stand by and let crooks rip off UK taxpayers.”
The total revenue evaded was £1,807,216.99.
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